Testudo Times

Huge: Star Local Receiver Stefon Diggs Commits to Maryland

2012-02-11T00:38:26Z

I'm not convinced there's such a thing as a program-changing commitment in football, but Stefon Diggs to Maryland is probably as close as it gets.

The consensus five-star, top-ten Good Counsel wide receiver just pulled the trigger for the Terrapins today at local College Park bar Looney's, over Ohio State, Auburn, and Florida, among a host of other offers. Diggs is reported to have said, "I wanna win championships, I wanna win bowl games, and what better place to do that than this city," before putting on his Maryland hat. He finished with "I wouldn't be nowhere without my city, so I want to finish it with y'all. ... I'll see y'all in the fall."

He was the best uncommitted recruit in the country on every major ranking service, as well as the consensus #2 wide receiver in the country. His commitment marks a potential sea change in the fortunes of Maryland's currently-woebegone football program.

Diggs is an electric wide receiver with elite speed and escapability, a true home-run threat every time he touches the ball. Rivals often compares him to DeSean Jackson, and while that's not a perfect comparison - Diggs is a little bigger, Jackson a little faster in terms of straight-line speed - it isn't far off. He loves the spotlight, plays with intensity and swagger, and can be a game-changer either as a receiver or a returner.

You'd expect Diggs to step in and start from Day One at the very least as a return man in place of the uninspiring Justus Pickett, and likely at wide receiver as well. The thought of Diggs lining up with Kevin Dorsey is tantalizing indeed.

Not to be overlooked is the potential snowball effect this will have in local recruiting. Although many rate Eddie Goldman more highly, I'd wager that Diggs has the biggest reputation among all local recruits, and probably the biggest since Derrick Williams in 2005 - fellow Good Counsel recruit Jelani Jenkins in 2009 is the only one who comes close. This sends a message: Maryland is a viable option for D.C.-area elites, and they will fight hard to keep them. Kendall Fuller? Dorian O'Daniel? Derwin Gray? Jonathan Allen? They all just sat up and took notice.

Give props to Randy Edsall for not entirely messing this up, but I'll say what I've always said: he wasn't an important factor here. ("Program CEO", remember?) The real credit goes to Mike Locksley, who engineered a near single-handed turnaround with Diggs, reeling in his former teammates Wes Brown and Zach Dancel before making a big push and ultimately securing Diggs' commitment.

Bask, friends. Bask in the glory.

Update: The LOI is in. And Diggs says the deciding factor was the UNC game. Peep highlights below.

Maryland Point Guard Pe'Shon Howard Tears ACL, Likely Out for the Year

2012-02-10T22:15:59Z

It's a big night on the football front - #Stefonukkah, dontchaknow - but there's some awful news on the way for basketball: point guard Pe'Shon Howard, who just returned from a broken foot in late December that kept him sidelined for the first ten games of the season, has suffered a torn ACL and will likely miss the rest of the season. The injury occurred in practice on Thursday.

This is a huge blow for a Maryland team that was just getting used to playing with Howard, the closest thing they have to a true point guard. The results were mixed and perhaps not as beneficial as some had hoped, but things will unquestionably get more difficult without having the option of giving him major minutes.

I assume Nick Faust, who manned the point at times before Howard's injury, will take Pe's spot in the starting lineup. Faust and Terrell Stoglin will likely share the lead guard duties, and I imagine Stoglin will probably play every minute Mark Turgeon can spare him.

While it does hurt, we should note that this isn't the end of the road for Maryland. While I think the Terrapins are objectively better with Howard, their resumé pre-Pe' looks a lot like post-Pe', and in fact you could make an argument that it's even better. Remember, they knocked off likely tournament-bound Notre Dame before Howard returned, and nearly defeated Illinois as well. I expect some of their losses will come by bigger margins than expected before, but so long as Stoglin continues his amazing form there's no reason more progress can't be made.

Many will be wondering if Maryland can redshirt Howard. While exceptions can always be made, I'd be surprised to see one happen here; he's already played in 14 games, well over the maximum one-third, and they've come past the halfway point of the season, as well. When Howard returns next year, it'll almost certainly be as a junior.

You have to feel for Howard. First he had the foot injury that sidelined him for months, and even after he returned he never really rounded into form, struggling from the field and recording low assist numbers. Against Clemson, his frustration seemed palpable. And now this.

Hopefully Howard can recover from this quickly and be ready to go next year, when the Terrapins will be gunning for the NCAA Tournament. They'll need his experience and depth. Until then, the backcourt onus will fall even more heavily on Stoglin.

Maryland Minute 2.9.12: The Zaching Craze Spreads

2012-02-10T13:42:08Z

Happy Stefonukkah, all. There's an open thread for that in the FanPosts.

Everyone at Maryland is ‘Zaching’ - DC Sports Bog
Good to see everyone in the athletics community rally around a cause - even SVP and Torrey Smith get into the act. Heartwarming.

‘Living the dream’ - The Diamondback
As yet, the best Lederer piece I've seen.

Coordinators Visit with Media
Linked to a few stories yesterday, but these are the full interviews of both Locksley and Stewart. RTWT. Have to say, I like Stewart's philosophy:

Both have been known to be pressure defenses and when we talk about pressure defense, we're not talking about blitzing every play, that's not what pressure is. Pressure is when the receivers get ready to catch the balls, the DBs are in a place where they can contest every catch. Pressure is when the linebackers are showing at the line scrimmage and the quarterback doesn't know out of those seven guys at the line of scrimmage who is coming and who is not. That's kind of how I got to where I am defensively with the three four defense.

Basically the football version of Gary's pressure? Works for me.

Rising to the challenge - The Diamondback
Nice piece on Stoglin. Good to hear his big target is still Duke. Love the little dude.

Ernie Graham, Johnny Rhodes both getting jerseys raised this month
We already knew it was happening, but now we know when as well. Graham on Feb. 16 against Boston College, Rhodes on Feb. 21 against Miami. Well-deserved on both counts, especially Rhodes'.

Lady Terps coast to win at Clemson
Lynetta Kizer had 16 and 8 in a 30-point win.

Rysheed Jordan impressed by his Maryland visit
The Sun with a free IMS article. Was linked in the FanPosts, but in case you didn't see it earlier. Anyway, Jordan sounds pretty impressed, though the interesting thing is hearing that Turgeon told Jordan he's #1 on their board. Of course, it's very easy to say something that could be interpreted as "you're #1" that isn't actually "you're #1" - or lie - so I'm not sure how this really affects the Harrison Twins.

Rivals250 for 2013 released, predictably has a bunch of local talent
Chief among them being Kendall Fuller, a five-star CB and Good Counsel Falcon. Fuller has two brothers who went to VT which will make it tough to steal him, but if ther ewas any guy Maryland could steal like that, it'd be someone who goes to GC. Others Maryland is involved with:

#22 Adam Breneman, TE
#37 Dorian O'Daniel, LB (GC)
#43 Henry Poggi, DT (Gilman)
#72 Holland Fisher, LB
#105 Derwin Gray, OT
#117 Michael Parker, ATH
#192 David Williams, RB
#202 Bucky Hodges, QB
#231 Na'Ty Rodgers, OT

The Official #Stefonukkah/#Diggscision2012 Open Thread

2012-02-10T12:52:00Z

Word is that Diggs is announcing at Looney's. In College Park. So I guess the fact that he's not announcing on CSN isn't such a big deal, then.

For minimal spillover, keep your conspiracy theories, out-of-control celebrations, horrible meltdowns, and other such lovable nonsense in this thread.

Go.

Oh Boy: Josh Barr Says Stefon Diggs to Maryland, Hype Building

2012-02-10T00:32:30Z

I've been shouting to anyone who would listen over the past week to, for the love of god, not listen to all of the random people who aren't recruiting analysts who have "sources" telling them Stefon Diggs is going somewhere. I can honestly point you to a dozen different "journalists" claiming a dozen different things about Diggs' recruitment. Anyone who is claiming with certitude that they know where Diggs is going is either unaware of the complexity of the situation, working on bad info, or trolling for page views.

That said, if there were two journos who'd know what's up, it'd be Mike Farrell first and Josh Barr second. Farrell is saying the Terps likely lead. And Barr has thrown caution to the wind and just gone ahead and called the race.

All-Met Defensive Player of the Year Stefon Diggs of Good Counsel is poised to announce that he will accept a scholarship offer to play for Maryland, according to a source with knowledge of Diggs's plans.

Diggs had planned to announce his college choice Friday on Comcast SportsNet, but a station spokesman said Thursday that Diggs had backed out of the arrangement. While Diggs still might make his choice known Friday, it was not immediately clear when or where that will take place.

Diggs, a star receiver and cornerback, is believed to also be strongly considering Florida and Ohio State. Auburn is also among his final choices. At this point, nothing would surprise those who have closely followed Diggs's recruitment.

That final graf should probably be a big enough grain of salt for you to not take this at 100% face value, and it seems that Barr is still hedging a bit - with good reason, of course, because for all we know Diggs will wake up tomorrow morning and decide to go to Oregon State or some other sufficiently random school. (Side note: no, he won't.) Point is, this is still fluid, and even if it was entirely decided, there's been enough misdirection that you shouldn't be putting 100% faith in any source.

Still, there's a lot of smoke pointing Maryland's direction. While I won't tell you to go out and buy your Stefon Diggs #2 Maryland Pride uni just yet, you should know that this isn't just a possibility - we're getting very close to likelihood status.

So Friday should be fun, huh?

Josh Barr: Stefon Diggs Expected To Commit To Maryland

2012-02-10T00:20:08Z

Josh Barr: Stefon Diggs Expected To Commit To Maryland

Wow. Needless to say, would be a program-changing get. We'll have much more on this soon. In the meantime, discuss.

Maryland Minute 2.8.12 - Bino in Texas to Visit Shaq, Harrison Twins

2012-02-09T19:20:10Z

Bino in Texas to Visit Shaq, Harrison Twins; Turgeon expected next week
Per the guys at IMS. This, my friends, is good news. Go get em' Bino.

Danny O’Brien’s decision likely to have major impact on Maryland football - The Washington Post
A nice roundup from the Post on what an O'Brien departure would mean. DOB has been rumored to be headed out for a little while now. Not sure when a decision will be made but he's supposedly going to talk it over with his family this weekend.

Stefon Diggs set to make college choice Friday, with Florida believed to be leading Maryland as his most likely destination - The Washington Post
When's the last time there's been this much drama surrounding a Maryland football recruitment? It seems to be a Maryland/Florida battle. We'll find out for sure where Diggs will be playing tomorrow.

Stefon Diggs To Announce Friday Night: Where Will He Sign? - SBNation.com
Bud Elliott, who's opinion I really trust, thinks that Diggs will end up at Maryland. He gives a good overall view on Diggs' recruitment. What say you, Terps fans? - Dave

Maryland Coach Randy Edsall grilled by WTEM’s ‘Sports Reporters’ - Terrapins Insider - The Washington Post
Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban absolutely gutted Edsall in an interview Tuesday. Got to give Coach some credit for facing these questions on air, and Andy and Steve for having the stones to ask them. - Pete

Mid-Atlantic Bias: Could Terrell Stoglin become Maryland’s all-tme leading scorer?
Interesting question. Mid-Atlantic Bias breaks down the numbers.

More Maryland Football Notes: New Coordinators Speak, O'Brien in Limbo

2012-02-09T19:06:10Z

That massive Danny O'Brien fiasco was a blast, right? Blogger's gold. And all indications are that it isn't about to stop anytime soon.

We already passed along the Washington Post update from last night, saying that Danny will wait it out through the weekend and talk it over with his family. While there isn't anything new on the matter, Jeff Barker at the Sun has published a trademark unspectacular-but-steady note on DOB, updating where his mind has been for the past several months. Barker claims he's been in constant contact with O'Brien's family, and has an interesting take on his upcoming decision, emphasis mine:

O'Brien is not the sort to commit to spring football under a new offensive coordinator without being prepared to follow through into the season. If he stays at Maryland, spring football would be an important time in the development of Mike Locksley's offense. That's why this is such an important period now for O'Brien, even though his participation in spring football would be limited because he is not yet 100 percent healthy. On Wednesday, he tweeted "Contrary to rumor, I am still a Terp," but he didn't address the future. Maryland has said it has no reason to believe he won't be back.

That's interesting - it had always seemed likely, at least to me, that if O'Brien was going to transfer it wouldn't happen until after spring ball, at which point he'd know where he stands on the depth chart and how well-suited he is to the offense. But if he's under the impression that committing to spring ball is committing to the 2012-13 season, that means a decision has to come now - and that's obviously what we're seeing. It also makes a transfer much more likely, given that he doesn't have a starting spot locked down.

Eric Prisbell has also pushed out a quick blog-ish update on his earlier piece, but there isn't much stuff we didn't already know. He does mention, though, that Mario Rowson is also considering transferring, which is something that was lost in the earlier piece.

Losing O'Brien would hurt Maryland in PR terms - rightly or wrongly, he's still viewed as the face of the program - and would be enough bad news to counteract the otherwise consistently good vibes coming out of Gossett lately. But I'm not sure it'd be a killer in reality, particularly given that C.J. Brown seems tailor-made to captain a run-heavy spread, which is what Maryland has the personnel to do and Mike Locksley has historically run.

Speaking of Locksley, the first interviews of Maryland's new coordinators are starting to trickle out. Locks says a lot of nothing here, but the good news is that I'm pretty sure Gary Crowton never said the phrase "doing what your personnel allows", except perhaps in the context of "I don't care if I'm not doing what your personnel allows." Also, the O'Brien transfer rumor quote at the end there is a bit ironic, given the timing.

The Diamondback also has a short piece up on both Locks and Brian Stewart, with Locks touching on his troubles at New Mexico and Stewart talking about how much pressure he wants to utilize. I love me a high-pressure look, especially in the sense Stewart is talking about - not blitzing, per se, but intensity and putting the offense on their back foot - but it does require a lot of athleticism. Not really sure if Maryland has it just yet, to be honest. Barker also has a few quick notes on Stewart, though aside from the emphasis on outside linebackers, nothing much is too noteworthy. I am intrigued by the outside linebacker comment, though; Maryland doesn't have a great fit for a 3-4 'backer, but there are a bunch in the 2013 class, led by Jonathan Allen - who, wouldn't you know it, is in Stewart's new recruiting territory.

But the biggest development in football is still Stefon Diggs. Stefonukkah is only hours away now, and Mike Farrell is still saying Maryland leads alongside Florida. He also says that the time has been moved up to 6:00 - I'll wait for something official on that, though. For those looking for bad news, a guy who writes for Sentinel Newspapers - the one that covers PG and MoCo - is saying "reliable sources" tell him Diggs is going OSU. Diggs has essentially played everyone, mind you: ask ten different people on where he'll go, and you'll get ten different answers. Don't read too much into it, and just wait the thirty hours or so.

Oh, and someone told Josh Barr that Diggs already knew about O'Brien's decision. So calm down, panic junkies.